For the new i3s electric vehicle (earlier post), BMW not only the increased output of the motor but also developed an innovative traction control system adapted specifically to the instantaneous power deliver of the BMW eDrive system. BMW has now announced that it will use the new i3s traction control system in BMW and MINI models with front-, rear- and all-wheel drive.

Presented for the first time in the new BMW i3s (270 N·m at 0 rpm, 135 kW / 184 HP, power consumption combined in European NEFZ test-cycle*: 14.3 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 0 g/km), the system improves traction and driving stability in adverse weather and road conditions when pulling away, in active Brake Energy Regeneration phases and when accelerating out of tight corners.

At the heart of this innovation is the control system’s 50-times-faster routine, made possible because—unlike conventional driving stability systems—the control process is now calculated directly in the powertrain instead of in a remote unit requiring long signal paths. This development provides further evidence of BMW i as a pioneer of innovative technology within the BMW Group.

With their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator, electric motors already make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units.

—Peter Langen, Head of Chassis Development at BMW

That’s why the BMW engineers developed a new type of system geared squarely to the demands of electric mobility.

The positive impact of these shorter control cycles is not reserved for purely electrically driven cars; this innovative traction control system also optimises traction, driving stability and driving dynamics in vehicles with combustion engines.

BMW i is a BMW Group brand focusing on visionary vehicle concepts, connected mobility services and a new understanding of premium strongly defined by sustainability. BMW i is represented in 54 countries with the BMW i3 electric car for urban areas, BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car and plug-in hybrid BMW iPerformance Automobiles.

BMW i opens up new target groups for the company and serves as an incubator for innovations. Technologies which have debuted successfully in BMW i cars are carried over to parent brand BMW’s other models.

BMW i is also associated with enterprises including DriveNow (car sharing), ReachNow (car sharing 2.0), ChargeNow (easy access to the world’s largest network of charging points), ParkNow (straightforward location, reservation and payment of parking spaces), venture capital company BMW i Ventures (investment in start-up companies with a focus on urban mobility), BMW Energy (energy optimization services) and the Center of Competence for Urban Mobility (consultancy for cities).